321 BOOM!
by ShyMaia
Summary: CUPCAKE FRIENDLY! Ranger & Rachel team up with Stephanie & Joe to finish what they started back in Jersey. This is my 2nd FanFic and a continuation to my first FanFic, "Ranger UnMasked". Rated M for obvious reasons!
1. Chapter 1

**Sooo... they're back! Ranger and Rachel that is. If you don't know who I'm talking about then you should check out "Ranger UnMasked", my first FanFic. **

**Just so we're clear before starting, I want to mention a few things:**

**This is NOT a "Babe" story. My Fics are _completely_ "Cupcake" friendly, especially since Ranger is already married in my world.**

**The character of Rachel is a major player in my Fics – she's Ranger's wife. **

**The story this time will be heavy with BOTH couples, so if you like Ranger's character in general, you might really enjoy his pairing with Rachel.**

**See #1 – again, this is NOT a "Babe" friendly story, Stephanie is ultimately going to end up with Morelli. **

**This story, unlike "Ranger UnMasked", will be told by two POVs; Stephanie's and Rachel's. You might get a little Joe or Ranger here and there, but mostly when you see 'RPOV' it'll be Rachel you're hearing, unless I specifically tell you it's Ranger. **

**As always, Janet Evanovich owns her characters, I'm just playing with them. I hope to take you on another fun and fantastic journey! Enjoy! ~ Maia**

**~~*~~**

"_**You can kiss your family and friends goodbye and put miles between you, but at the same time you carry them with you in your heart, your mind, your stomach, because you do not just live in a world but a world lives in you." ~ Frederick Buechner **_

_SPOV_

_He won't answer the phone. I've been trying for three weeks and I can't get him to answer the damn phone! Tanks says that he's fine, that he's taking some much needed R&R and that I should probably leave him alone for a while, but... how? He's never not returned my calls. It's like he's dropped off the face of the earth, turned his back on his life in Jersey, and on me!_

_Apparently he's left RangeMan, and my safety, in Tank's capable hands. And while I'm grateful that I still have his second in command in my corner, I want Ranger. I want my friend back. Just knowing he was always going to be there if I needed him was comforting. Yeah, he laughed at me more than he let on, but that was okay. We're friends, or at least I _thought_ we were._

_R&R... shit, those are their initials, for crying out loud! How gay is that? _

_There's so much explaining he still needs to do, so many things he hasn't answered for. Doesn't he know that? Doesn't he realize he's left me hanging? Is it possible he could just walk away? Could Ranger really leave Jersey? Leave me here? Alone? _

_Well, not _alone_ really. I still have Morelli, but... he's on the right side of the law and sometimes a girl needs a man on the wrong side, if you know what I mean. _

_That high paid bimbo his wife has screening her calls won't tell me where they live and Google won't cough anything up either. Guess I've been trumped by the missus. _

_And back to that, why didn't he tell me he was married? _Still_ married, to be exact. I thought we had something special, something... more. Sure he's never really been open about his personal life, but I'd always understood that he'd thought enough of me to tell me the truth. At least about something as important as a _wife_!_

_He'd better answer his stupid cell phone soon or I'm gonna hike my ass down to Dallas and yank his sorry you-know-what out of whatever hole he's crawled into. He may not be mine anymore, but there are parts of him I still own, parts she can't touch or take away. _

_At least I hope she can't, anyway... _

RPOV

I floated leisurely on my stomach on an inflatable raft in our pool. My skin was hot to the touch and tingled a little. That meant I was working on a fairly good burn, which was fine by me. Moving my arms lazily in the water, I paddled nowhere and enjoyed the warm sun and luscious air, thinking again that Ranger was crazy to even suggest I'd survive in a cooler climate.

Smiling to myself, I snuggled deeper into the warm pocket of my raft and thought, _this is my cup of tea. _I didn't want to move or be moved anytime soon and didn't understand why I hadn't discovered this guilty pleasure sooner. Out in the distance I heard a seagull cry out, but it didn't faze me. Nor did the splash from his dive or subsequent ripple of water disrupt my new found bliss.

His cold hands on my heated back did though.

"Hey," I mumbled sleepily as Ranger pressed his cool lips against my warm shoulders.

"You're burning."

"Tell me something I don't already know." I replied, eyes still closed. I felt him tug my raft through the water and fought back minutely by paddling my arms in the other direction. "If you're going to make me get out, I'll cry."

"Wouldn't want that, would we?"

I heard him hop out of the pool, flashed him a sleepy smile when I bothered to turn my head his way. He looked like a chocolate bunny, one I wanted to lick from head to toe. For all the pinkness I was rewarded in the sun, Ranger tanned, deeply.

Enjoying the sight of my husband before me, his hot, chiseled and wet body moving lithely by the pools edge, I purred. "You should relax in a bathing suit more often, bud." Running his fingers through his wet hair, Ranger turned my way and shot me a devilish grin, it's affect causing my insides to liquefy. "When was the last time you took a vacation anyway?" I questioned and gracefully turned my body over on the raft, my toes the only thing holding me poolside.

"Couldn't tell you," he replied absently as he poured sunscreen into his hand. Then turning back towards me in the pool, he grinned from ear to ear. "Sweetie... you lost your top."

I returned the smile, wrinkled my nose cutely. "I didn't lose it."

"Well," he said slipping back into the water, sunscreen in hand. "You're back is toasted. You'll pay for that later on." I shrugged. "How about I make sure the same doesn't happen to the front?"

"You just want to touch me." I accused. He said nothing as he started smoothing the sunscreen all over my chest and stomach, taking a little extra time on the chest area.

After I was greased and pliant in his hands, he bent his head and took one hardened nipple in his mouth. The moan slipping from my lips fueled his fire and his hands started to magically move over my body. "Think we could manage this on the raft?"

As his mouth trailed down toward my bikini bottom, he whispered. "Not likely," and I grinned. So he couldn't do _everything_.

"Guess that means I have to get – " The words caught in my throat as he slipped his fingers under the thin material of my suit. "_Wet_." I gasped.

"Oh, I'm hoping so." He replied with a grin then pulled me into the pool.

I screamed in shock when the cold water hit my body, enveloping me. Flinging myself back up towards the surface, I reached out and grabbed Ranger by the back of the neck, pulling him under the water with me. Our mouths met as our limbs entangled, molding us together as we floated.

There was nothing purer than the love I felt for Ranger. It'd been growing over the last couple of weeks, doubling in size, if that was even possible. Where a little over a month ago I'd felt a huge void in my life, there was now fulfillment, peace. My husband, with his love, had filled all of the empty spaces, made me feel whole and complete again.

After we'd finally decided to selfishly slip off together, the rest had fallen into place rather quickly. I left RangeMan Dallas and the clean up of Bucky's case in Kathleen's hands. The only time we'd left our quiet reverie had been to attend the Buckmeister's funeral. Going had brought some closure, soothed some of the wounds still fresh on the surface. I knew that in time I'd get over Bucky's death and the professional hit I took during his chase. No FTA had ever hit me as hard as Bucky had, and in time I'd find the answers surrounding his death. Now just wasn't that time.

Jersey was being run by Tank and Ranger's Merry Men. If my husband checked in with his branch of the business, I never knew about it. As far as I was concerned, his cell was shut off and I hadn't once seen him sit in front of a computer. He'd meant it back in the motel when he'd told me he'd do just about anything to keep us together, had more than proven that in the days and weeks following our time in Lumberton.

No one questioned, balked or fussed a bit once we'd announced we were running away, alone. Well, we weren't exactly running away, per say. We could easily be found if you knew where to look or had the right connections. Disturbing us might come at a cost though. Ranger and I were serious about being left alone. Needless to say, everyone who mattered knew where we were and most were happy that we'd stopped to finally give our relationship the time and care it needed. We were determined to make things work this time. The rest of the world be damned.

I was giggling when we finally broke through the surface. I had my hand slipped inside Ranger's swim trunks, his prize possession in my palm. We were just barely getting into it when a sound poolside grabbed my attention. Squeezing Ranger's prize a mite fiercely, the smile vanished from my face. "Rachel," he groaned wiggling slightly in pain. "You might wanna –"

"Plum," I said through clenched teeth.

Ranger wiggled himself out of my grasp, his expression one of confusion when his eyes met mine. Turning his head he followed the direction of my murderous gaze and froze where he was. "Steph? What the…" he trailed off.

"My sentiments exactly." I grumbled and moved out of his arms...

_**Let me know what you think! Comments are ALWAYS welcome! **_


	2. Chapter 2

_**JE owns her characters, I'm just playing with them!**_ _**~ Maia **_

RPOV

Stephanie Plum was standing poolside staring at us like we were a peepshow she couldn't take her eyes off of. Immediately I tensed up, cursed and pushed Ranger away. Stunned by Stephanie's sudden presence, he didn't stop me.

"Steph, what are you doing here?" he asked.

"I-I didn't mean to interrupt." Rolling my eyes, I mimicked her words silently, made a disgusted face then climbed out of the pool. After wrapping myself in a towel I turned and noticed that Stephanie was no longer alone.

"_Omigod_." I mumbled. Joe smiled back at me, clearly amused. "To what do we owe this honor?"

"Would you believe we've never been to Dallas?" Morelli replied with a grin. I shook my head at him and moved around the pool slowly. I was suddenly aware I'd been without my bikini top and started searching for it.

"Ever hear of a phone?" I shot back, more perturbed with the idea of Stephanie being in my house than Morelli. Joe glanced at Stephanie, his expression turning heated. She worried her bottom lip under his stare and literally shrank a bit.

"We would have, but we had issues with our phones." She replied.

Sighing heavily, Ranger swam to the edge of the pool and lifted himself out. "Why am I not surprised."

"It's not my fault the guy took Morelli's coat and my purse."

"Well, if you hadn't left them on the hood of the car –"

Glancing my way as they bickered behind him, Ranger lifted my bikini top and walked towards me with the most apologetic expression I'd ever seen. Unable to help myself, I smiled at him and took the top. "Rain check?"

"You'd better believe it." He replied then watched as I slipped into the house to right my clothing.

Standing in the downstairs bathroom I cursed, _violently_, at the Lord above for bring that insolent creature into my house. Who the hell was she to think that the welcome mat would just flop out when she appeared? Just because she'd become Ranger's pet-issue in Jersey did _not_ mean she could suddenly become mine in Dallas!

"Presumptuous little bitch." I grumbled, pulling on my top and tying the strings angrily. There was nothing worse than having a revved up engine halted by another woman, especially when you were in the arms of a man of Ranger's caliber. Exactly _what_ Stephanie thought she was doing surprising us the way she had, I'd never know. I'd been pissed off at her before, but her interruption of our interlude in the pool ticked me off beyond words. I wanted to scratch her eyes out!

And how mature was _that_?

"And furthermore_, _how the_ Hell _did she get in?" I barked storming out of the bathroom. As I did I ran right smack into Kathleen. "_You_ let her in."

"Guilty." Kathleen replied.

"What the Hell, Kathleen? Why would you bring that woman here?"

"Girl, that woman has been hounding me for _two_ _weeks_! She's been callin' every hour on the hour looking for Ranger! I have been going out of my mind playin' go-between for the two of you, but I ain't playin' that game no more. Uh-uh." She grumbled, waving a hand as she wander off.

"Are you telling me a little pain in the ass got by you?" I followed her into the kitchen, hands on hips.

Kathleen opened the refrigerator door and pulled out a pitcher of sweet tea. Glancing my way she frowned. "Girl, you're sunburned."

"Don't change the subject."

"You got some aloe up in here?"

I rolled my eyes. "I don't know. Somewhere. Don't change the subject!"

"I'm not changing the subject, just making a simple observation. Geez." Pouring tea she glanced out towards the pool. "That tall drink of water she brought with her is sure easy on the eyes. How'd she end up with someone like him?"

"He felt sorry for her? I don't know, who _cares_." Kathleen laughed and handed me a glass of tea. "You should've known better than to bring her here."

"Darlin', you can't move completely forward until what's behind you is settled." Sighing heavily I leaned against the kitchen island and swirled the tea in my glass. "I know you're making progress, that you and Ranger are finally finding your happiness, but that ain't gonna hold when you walk outside these four walls."

"Who says." I grumbled.

"I say," she replied. "And you know it." Placing my glass of tea on the counter I moved to the kitchen window and looked outside. Ranger was lounging in one of the chairs, Stephanie standing in front of him as she told him a very animated tale. You couldn't miss the look of amusement on his face. It was taking Ranger all he had to not laugh and hold himself in check.

Feeling Kathleen's hand on my shoulder, I turned. " I suppose I should bring out some tea."

"That would be the nice southernly thing to do."

I bit my lip, not feeling very nice. "Or I could always push her into the pool." Kathleen chuckled.

"Could, but what would it get ya?"

"Ohh, there's satisfaction guaranteed right there, sister."

"Do you think Ranger would approve?" I grimaced.

"And when have I ever done anything Ranger approved of?"

"Point taken," but Kathleen turned me towards the tea.

Heaving a heavy sigh I walked over to the cupboard and pulled down a tray then turned to gather some glasses. Glancing Kathleen's way I frowned. "Don't just stand there, you started this, you're helping me be nice."

"Honey, it'd be my pleasure." She shined. I mumbled something incoherent then set about the task.

As we walked out I caught the tail end of whatever Stephanie was chattering on about. "So, you see, I'm sorry we're here like this, disrupting your vacation and all, but what other choice did we have?"

Opening my mouth to reply, venom right on the tip of my tongue, I glanced Ranger's way and paused mid-breath. He shook his head back and forth at me, knowing well enough that I'd have something smart to say in response. Making a face at him I walked over to the table and deposited the tray of tea.

"Suzy Homemaker."

"Bite me." Catching my hand in his he grinned and pulled me close. "I'm sorry I missed the… explanation," _Excuse. _"As to why you're here?" The woman opened her mouth to respond, but I didn't let her answer. "And you can also tell me why you've been incessantly calling my office manager for about a week now." Her mouth closed.

"Steph needs our help with an FTA." I looked over at Ranger, pulled my fingers from his.

"No way," I said walking over to a chair and flopping down.

"He's in the area, Rachel."

"And that's my problem... why?" Ranger stared at me. I wasn't budging though. There wasn't a rats chance in hell I was helping Stephanie Plum with an FTA. "I'm on vacation!" I offered up, completing my excuse with a phony smile. Ranger's gaze didn't flinch.

Shaking his head at me he turned to Morelli. "What can we do?"

"_Sweet Jesus_," I grumbled and jumped to my feet. Turning towards Morelli, I glared. "Don't you have a few murder cases you're supposed to be working on?" Joe stared at me, the glass of sweet tea he'd been about to sip halting half way to his mouth.

"They're well under control."

"Caught your killers did you?"

"Rachel." Ranger warned.

"I'm sorry," I hissed. "I can think about a half dozen things I'd rather do right now than help your _charity case_."

Very slowly Ranger leaned forward in his chair, his eyes fixing on mine and darkening. "You're being rude."

"Am I?" My smile was curt. "You'll have to excuse me. This _is_ my house."

"Maybe we should go." Stephanie said getting to her feet. She looked a little scared and I didn't blame her.

"Good idea," I replied. "You never should've pushed yourself in here to begin with." And with that I stormed off.

As I walked through the kitchen, I noticed Kathleen sitting there very quietly flipping through a magazine. Not looking up from it she chuckled as I passed. "Oh, girl… he's gonna rip you apart."

"Fuck him."

Ranger found me ten minutes later in the bedroom, staring out the windows that overlooked the lake. I felt like shit, worse than I'd ever felt in my life. Not turning to face him I wrapped my arms around myself and closed my eyes. "That's twice now I've lost my cool like that recently."

"It's kinda cute."

"Don't go there." He walked over to me, stood a few feet back trying to gauge my mood. "Are they gone?"

"No."

"I didn't think you'd listen to me."

"Probably because I know it's not really what you want."

I turned to face him, still pissed off. "You don't know me at all."

He grabbed my arm as I tried to pass. "Don't walk away," he said spinning me back around.

"Don't force me to like her." I shot back.

He sighed heavily. "I'm _not_." Reaching out he pushed a strand of hair out of my face. "Are you really mad at me?"

I thought about it a moment, sulked. "Probably not." He nodded once.

"How can we fix this?" My grin was a bit evil and he chuckled. "I'm helping her, Rachel. With or without you." Rolling my eyes and growling, I paced away. Having him help her alone was worse than having to help her at all. Just the thought of Ranger and Stephanie in the same vicinity turned me into a stark raving lunatic, Morelli or no Morelli. "You know your fears are unjustified."

"Are they? Really?" He moved in closer, placed his hands possessively on my hips. "You're not gonna change my mind like that."

"I love you." I closed my eyes.

"You're not playing fair." I whined and he kissed me softly on the lips. Groaning, I new I was gonna cave and hated myself for it. He knew all the right buttons to push. "I really and truly don't want to help her." He deepened the kiss, his tongue melding with mine, weakening my defenses.

"Do it for me," he whispered against my lips, nibbling as he continued his torment.

"This is gonna cost you." I felt him smile against my neck. "You knew that though, didn't you?"

"Absolutely." Shaking my head I moved out of his arms.

"You do realize that if I cave now, you're going to expect me to cave from here on out." I turned to him. "I won't do it." He was quiet. "I can't, Ranger. I told you a while ago that you were going to have to decide what was really important here, make some hard choices. That time is going to come… soon."

"I've already made them."

"You're still helping her."

"I'm helping _them_, and yes, she's tightly wound into the equation. But what other choice do I have? I could let them go off half-cocked down here, knowing no one, without any resources and far away from what they're accustomed to... or I could help them. With our help this could end a hell of a lot quicker, Rachel."

"Oh, is that why you're doing this." I replied flippantly.

The corners of Ranger's mouth lifted. "You don't really think I want them here anymore than you do." He stated more than questioned. "Baby, I was enjoying myself just as much as you were." I dropped my head in my hands, pressed the heels against my eyes. I suddenly had a pounding headache.

Sighing, I fixed my blue eyes on his again, my mind spinning. "I'll give you two days and all the resources I have. After that they're on their own. We _both_ walk away."

"That's fair."

"I can't believe I'm doing this," I grumbled starting for the bathroom. Ranger caught up with me, wrapped his arms around my waist and spun me around.

"You have a heart of gold."

"Mm, nope." I shook my head. "That wouldn't be entirely correct, bud. I've caught a case of stupid is what this is." He cradled my head in his hand, gazed quietly into my eyes. The emotion I saw in his brown depths stirred my heart. "You make me stupid." He grinned.

"Among other things." I shoved him and he laughed.

"I supposed they're gonna need to stay here too?" He shrugged. I cursed a long string of vile words and his eyes widened.

"That wasn't very ladylike." The look I shot him had Ranger grinning. "I'll put them in the wing closer to the garage."

"Put him in the wing, put her in the garage."

"Be nice." He said turning to leave.

"I think I've been nice enough!" I called after him, but he didn't respond. "You owe me, Manoso!" Silence.

Heading for the shower I turned on the water. How I was ever going to get through two days with Stephanie Plum? Working on an FTA at that! A bullet in the foot would've felt better.

_Ohh, that husband of mine is gonna owe me, big time. _

Checking myself in the mirror, I groaned. Pink didn't even touch the color my skin had turned. I was lobster red, and needed aloe fast. "Attractive." I said to my reflection then hopped in the shower, hoping to wash away all my ugliness...


	3. Chapter 3

_**JE owns her characters, I'm just playing with them! ~ Maia**_

SPOV

Morelli dropped his duffel bag on the bed and looked around the room. "Nice digs."

"Yeah," I replied in awe as I stood in the doorway. It was like a hotel room, only nicer.

Ranger had left us alone to settle in, said he'd be around if we needed him. I felt guilty for barging in on the two of them the way we had, but it was great seeing him again. _Especially in a swimsuit – _happy dance!

Looking around the bedroom I realized that Mrs. Ranger had some very exquisite tastes, and a boatload of money. This place wasn't anything like Ranger's hidden apartment on the seventh floor of his office building. This bedroom, the whole house even, looked like something you'd see in a magazine.

Walking over to the bed I placed my backpack very carefully next to Morelli's duffel and glanced at him out of the corner of my eye.

"I have a bone to pick with you." He said. _Ut-oh_. "You said they knew we were coming."

"I didn't say that, exactly. I know I didn't say that exactly." I replied.

"You eluded to the fact that they did," he turned towards me. "And while I was very happy to see Ranger's wife without a top on," I shoved him. "I'm fairly certain that they weren't all that happy to see us."

I pursed my lips. "She doesn't like me very much."

"Gee, I wonder why seeing how you're so _easy_ to get along with." Morelli walked around the elaborate bed, kicked off his shoes and hopped on.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I said wandering towards a door across the room. My jaw just about hit the floor when I pushed it open. "You could fit my entire apartment in this bathroom!" I exclaimed.

"Cupcake, you ever heard of the word subtlety?"

I looked over at him. "Duh."

"Yeah, I thought you had, but wanted to be sure since you sorely _lack it_ most of the time."

Pissed, I walked over to the bed, hands on hips. "Would you rather be down here looking for Finney without their help?" Morelli shrugged and put his hands behind his head.

"I'm just here to make sure you don't get shot at."

"That happens to me on a daily basis," he grinned, his sexy blue eyes slipping up and down my body hungrily. I started to feel a bit uneasy.

"C'mere," he wiggled a finger in my direction.

"No..." I shook my head back and forth slowly and took a retreating step. "I don't think I want to." Morelli was eyeing me like I was an afternoon snack, and considering we were in Ranger's house, I wasn't all that sure I felt comfortable having sex with Morelli under his roof.

Rolling onto his side Morelli propped his head in his hand and smiled. "What are you gonna do? Ask them to put us in separate rooms?"

"Yeah, right."

"Then get over here. You know, that they know, we're gonna have sex, so what's the big deal?" That's what I was afraid of. 

"Ranger likes to bug things," I said looking around. Ranger had the capability of hiding shit anywhere and at anytime. I'd seen what he could do with a lipstick tube. The man had skills, mad skills. "You know there could be all kinds of funky Ranger-type stuff in this house. Doesn't that bother you?" Morelli shrugged. "I bet he's even listening to us right now," I said wandering over to a lamp and peeking under the shade. "He's probably watching us on a big screen somewhere in a dark room." My eyes took in the room slowly and Morelli laughed.

"All the power to him." I took off my shoe and threw it at him. Catching it midair, Morelli let it fall to the floor. "If you come over here right now I'll make it oh-so worth your while," watching him pat the bed next to him, I shuddered. _God he was gorgeous_.

"I think I'm gonna take a shower," I said backing away. I seemed like the safest thing to do.

"Good idea," he said rolling across the bed and hopping off in front of me. "We can conserve water." When he wiggled his eyebrows up and down suggestively I groaned and knew I was in trouble.

"You don't think he's got a camera in there, do you?" Joe laughed and spun me around towards the bathroom.

"God, I hope so."

Later on after I had been properly sexed in the shower, I left Morelli to finish dressing and wandered off on my own.

I was nervous, for sure, that I'd bump into Mrs. Ranger, but couldn't resist snooping about to see how Ranger and his other half lived. Peeking around corners and slinking in the shadows was something I was normally used to, but in this house playing spy didn't feel all that fun. I was constantly looking over my shoulder and making sure I wasn't being watched or followed. Not a very cool look if you ask me.

When Ranger had shown Morelli and I to our room, he'd pointed in the direction of another wing and said if we ever needed anything that we could find them there.

Standing at the top of the stairs, I strained my neck and stood on my tippy-toes trying to see down that hallway. There were a couple of doorways, but nothing definitive that screamed, _this is Ranger's bedroom, _and try as I might I couldn't hear anything from that end of the house.

What I really wanted to do was sneak down there and poke around, but I was scared shitless I'd get caught. And since pissing Ranger's wife off twice in one day was the last thing I wanted to do, I opted to use my head instead of my heart and went downstairs.

I strolled through the rest of the house gawking at the furniture, art and paintings. I fingered some pretty knick-knacks, dawdled in the library over some really old books and did my best not to break anything. When I finally found my way to the pool area I poked my head through the doorway, praying that Rachel wasn't out there. She wasn't, but Ranger was.

He was standing on the patio, leaning against the railing and looking out at the lake. Hearing me approach he turned my way and smiled, _really smiled, _and I felt my insides turn to jelly. He was wearing faded jeans and a white dress shirt that seriously showed off his tan. His feet were bare and his hair was slightly wet where it curled around his collar.

Walking up to him I offered a hesitant smile. "Smooth everything over with your wife?"

"For the most part."

"I thought she was gonna go postal on me there for a minute." Ranger's smiled widened. "I'm sorry we burst in on you like that. It wasn't really what I'd intended," I fixed my eyes on the ground.

"She'll get over it." I glanced up at him, not entirely sure that she would, but trusted Ranger to keep me safe.

We looked out over the water quietly for bit. He looked so relaxed, a different kind of relaxed than I was used to. Inside I was freaking out over all the stuff I wanted to say to him. All the questions that had been running through my mind for weeks now. They kept playing over and over in my head, but I couldn't bring myself to ask them.

Settling against the railing beside him, I leaned over and nudged Ranger gently. "You look happy." He said nothing and it made me a little nervous. "Especially when I saw you earlier... in the pool. You looked really happy."

He chuckled. "I general am in that situation."

I groaned, "You know what I mean."

Grinning he looked out over the water. "I do. And... I am."

"Good," I said looking down at my hands. "I'm glad." He didn't reply.

"I do need to tell you though," he said turning so that he was facing me. "She's only given us two days."

"Two days for... what?" I'm sure my confusion showed on my face.

"Two days to locate Finney. She's giving us whatever we need, manpower, resources, contacts, money... but, only for two days." I thought about that a moment and decided I didn't understand.

"Why only two days?"

"You should consider it a gift." I stared at him.

"She doesn't like me very much does she?" Ranger tried not to smile. "I mean, I'm not sure what I ever did to her, but I'm pretty sure your wife hates me."

"She doesn't hate you, Steph." He replied, ill at ease with the topic as he shifted against the railing. When he didn't say anything else I shook my head and looked out over the water.

"I still don't get why two days is such a big deal. What if it takes three?"

"Two is what she's giving us."

"Why though? Isn't it _all_ RangeMan? Don't you own part of RangeMan Dallas?"

He shook his head. "No. She owns RangeMan Dallas. I own the RangeMan in Jersey."

I still couldn't follow what he was telling me. "RangeMan Dallas, RangeMan Jersey... I'm sorry, it's all the same to me. You're married, don't you have a say in what happens here?" The look he shot me screamed _back off_, but I wasn't about to. "I'm not saying it could take me longer," I continued. "But, what if -"

"Babe," he said in frustration and I froze. _Oops_! Slip of the tongue.

We were both quiet again, the air heavy with the words left unsaid. Deep down I wanted to reach over and shake Ranger, to make him talk to me like he used to, but this was _Ranger_. You only got from him what he wanted to give.

It was unfair actually. The second Rachel Manoso had walked back into his life Ranger had changed, and not necessarily for the better, in my opinion. While Mrs. Ranger got her husband back, I lost my friend, one of my _best_ friends. I wasn't even going to mention the loss of all of the other perks that accompanied having someone of Ranger's caliber in my life. It hurt too much.

"I'm sorry," I said quietly. "You know I can kinda go," I wiggled a finger next to my head. "Especially when you're around." That brought a smile to his face. "I guess your new life is going to take some getting used to." He looked like he was about to say something, but didn't. Morelli appeared on the patio then shaking his head as he looked up at the house.

"_Jesus_. That place is a maze. How the hell do you find your way out?"

"You get used to it." Ranger replied and watched as Morelli walked over and put his arm around me.

"Steph thinks you've got cameras and bugs in our room." I elbowed Morelli, hard, and Ranger laughed.

"She may. My wife hasn't divulged all the Intel she's put into this place yet." _Wife. Ugh_. Just hearing him speak about her that way had my stomach churning. "And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go and locate her, see what she's got planned for dinner."

I watched him walk away and felt sad suddenly. Too much was changing and too quickly. I didn't like this new Ranger at all.

Feeling Morelli's eyes on me, I looked up. "What?"

He sighed softly. "Nothing," he replied quietly. "Nothing at all."


	4. Chapter 4

_**JE owns her characters, I'm just spending some time with them. ~ Maia **_

"**No, Groucho is not my real name. I am breaking it in for a friend." - Groucho Marx**

RPOV

I woke up early the next morning, grabbed my laptop and headed downstairs. Over dinner the night before Stephanie and Morelli had told us a little about the FTA she was after. It was just my bad luck that the pervert she was chasing had end up in Dallas. Top that off with the fact that I couldn't say no to my husband and I was screwed.

Apparently we both had issues in that department. He couldn't say no to Stephanie and I couldn't say no to him. Generally that means only one person ever gets their way, and that person surely wouldn't be me.

"Ralph Finney," I said to myself as I logged into the admin portion of the RangeMan Dallas website. "What are you going to tell me about yourself today?"

What little I already knew about the guy made me want to laugh. He'd been arrested for flashing the good ol' folks at the Senior Center while playing bingo. Apparently Ralph suffered from some sort of dementia, but I wasn't really sure what kind told an old man that it was okay to flop out his wee-willy-winky in public, especially at bingo.

Stephanie's boss had bonded Finney out because he was a friend of a great uncle, or something. And when Ralph hadn't shown up for his hearing, his paperwork had fallen into her lap. Finney wasn't dangerous, per say, but his family was pretty sure he hadn't taken his meds in a while, so naturally they were getting worried.

Checking his background, I found out that he was a World War II Veteran who'd received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for bravery during battle. Knowing this softened my heart a little. So what if he was a perv, he was a _brave_ perv, one who'd served his country well. Now we just needed to get him to stop trying to serve _himself_ up to the nice ladies at bingo. _Ugh_.

Finney was predeceased by two wives, both from the Jersey area, and had four children from his first marriage. He was as broke as a joke, his prized possession a gray Toy Poodle he always carried around with him. Given that the pup – a yapper he'd named Max – and a good portion of Finney's clothing were missing, his family believed he'd slipped off somewhere unknown.

Luckily at a recent family gathering, Ralph had been mumbling something about a woman he'd once dated in high school. Her name was Veronica Bates, and she lived in the Dallas area. That's why Stephanie believed that Finney was here. Plus, after looking up Bates phone number, she'd called the woman and when the phone had been answered she'd asked about Finney and Bate's had hung up on her. A tell tale sign right there.

Still, I was doing my usual homework before taking off after an FTA. I knew the entire situation could be handled quickly, I just wanted to be sure of what we were walking into _before_ we approached Bates residence. We didn't need _two_ crazy old birds coming after us. Especially when one was prone to flashing.

Closing my laptop I turned when my housekeeper, Ava, entered the room. She smiled brightly at me then cocked her head to the side when she noticed I was working at the kitchen table.

"Mista Ranger still sleep?" Ava spoke very broken English.

"Yes, and Ava we have a couple of house guests," her eyes widened. "I don't expect them to be here very long, but you know the drill."

"_Si_," she said with a nod. "I cook?"

"For now I think coffee will do. Maybe cook later?"

She nodded cheerfully. "I make ready." I watched her rush off, knowing that she couldn't be happier about having people in the house. I alone generated very little work for the woman, and had often seen pity in her eyes when I'd come home tired and alone. The day I'd shown up with Ranger I swear Ava had done a happy dance right in front of us. And not just because he's gorgeous.

Picking up my cell phone I stared at it a moment then turned it on. Ignoring the voice mail messages waiting for me, I text my employee, Sean. Giving him Veronica Bates address, I asked Sean to do a swing by on his way to the office. He text me back almost instantly and I could hear the laughter in his words, "_That vaca didn't last long_. _You & Rangeman already run out of positions to do it in?_" Shaking my head at his directness, I text back quickly, "_Shut up & report back." _I ordered, slapping the phone shut and tossing it onto the table. Man, that boy had nerve. If Sean thought it, he said it. It was like there was no bullshit filter in his brain, nothing he wouldn't say. It drove me nuts.

Staring at the phone a moment, my anger dissipating, I realized it was the first time I'd 'spoken' with Sean in weeks. No, 'Hi, how ya doin'? or, 'Hey, buddy... do me a favor?'. That wasn't very nice, even for me. So, opening my phone again, I text, "_BTW, I've missed U 2_." His only response was, "_LOL_!"

"Putz," I mumbled with a grin.

There was nothing more to do until Sean got back to me, so I headed for the gym. After a quick change of clothing I grabbed my iPod, turned the flat screen on the wall to CNN and hopped on my treadmill. A few minutes later I was working my way through my morning run, today's headlines ticking across the bottom of the TV screen.

Involved with my thoughts, the TV and the calories I was pounding out of my system, I didn't notice that someone had entered the room, and just about jumped out of my skin when Morelli's face popped into my world. Yanking the earbuds out of my ears I hit a button on the treadmill, slowing it down. "Morelli, you scared the shit out of me!" He laughed.

"Sorry, I called out to you but you're apparently trying to go deaf." He picked up my iPod and looked at the display. "Hey, I like these guys." Shaking my head at him I grabbed my water and took a huge swig of it.

"How'd you find me?" I asked.

"Not very hard. I am a cop, you know." I gave him an 'as if' look and he smiled. "That sweet little Spanish woman in the kitchen told me you might be in here and then pointed me in the right direction."

"Ava."

"Yeah, that's her. She gave me this," he said holding up a mug of coffee. "I didn't even have to ask for it."

I hopped off the treadmill and headed over to the StairMaster. "She's excited to have guests in the house," I replied, getting myself situated. "You'll go home ten pounds heavier, I promise."

"I'm not afraid of food." I smiled at him and he looked up at the TV. We were quiet for a few minutes as he stared at the muted TV, leaving me wondering when he was going to get around to telling me what he wanted. "You, uh, still pissed off?"

"Did I seem pissed off last night?"

He scratched the side of his head and thought a moment. "No, not really," he replied taking a seat on the weight bench. "But, I think you're a good at hiding things." I shrugged. "I'm sorry, you know... about showing up here the way we did."

"Don't be, it's fine," he didn't look like he believed me. "Really."

"Okay," he said with a huge grin and I laughed at him. We both knew that I was lying. Never would it be okay for someone to show up, unannounced, on my patio, when I was getting freaky with Ranger. They were just lucky I hadn't been carrying my gun, not that I would've had room in my bikini bottoms.

"I did some work on your case this morning – "

"_Her_ case." He cut me off and I smiled.

"Well, _excuse_ me."

"Uh-huh."

"I really don't think it's going to take all that long to gather up _her_ FTA."

He nodded his head. "I didn't think it would," he replied offhandedly and sipped his coffee. "Rachel," he started and sat up straighter, _finally_ getting around to what he'd _really_ come looking to say. "Don't punish her for the stuff she couldn't control." Okay, that hadn't been what I'd expected.

"Uhm..." I stopped on the StairMaster and tried to think of something nice to say. Realizing I couldn't, I gave up.

"You gotta give her a chance."

I laughed. A full-bellied _oh-my-god-that's-friggin-hilarious,_ kind of laugh. "Oh, darlin'... I don't know about that," I said grabbing a towel and stepping off of the machine. "I generally don't tend to befriend my husband's exes."

He stared at me saying nothing, his blue cop eyes turning something over in his head. "Yeah," he drew out the word slowly. "I can understand that, and can see why you normally wouldn't, but... you're with Ranger. He's obviously head over heels for _you_." Was he serious? Clueless, maybe? Did he really believe Stephanie wasn't a factor in my relationship with Ranger? She'd elbowed her way into my house the day before by harassing my staff. Apparently there was still something I needed to worry about because she wouldn't _go away_!

"And what about you?" I asked shoving all of that aside.

"What about me?"

"Well, are you in love with Stephanie?" He looked down into his coffee.

"I'm ready to settle down with her, but she..." and he trailed off. "She's a commitment phobe and won't take the next step." I was pretty sure there was more that Morelli wanted to say, but wouldn't – or couldn't. And since I wasn't about to grumble to him over what my husband had told me in confidence, it really wasn't my place to chat with Joe about what he did or didn't feel – or know – about Stephanie and Ranger before I came onto the scene.

Watching him though, it was as clear as a blue sky that he was just as head over heels for Stephanie Plum as Ranger was for me. It made me want to help him – _him_, not her.

"Well, if there's anything that I've learned in the last month, it's that you can't expect things to happen the way you want just because you want them too." He looked up at me. "I knew Ranger wouldn't give me the divorce I'd asked him for. Not without a really good reason, and trust me, I gave him _a lot_ of really good reasons." I said with a guilty smile. "I've never been very good at compromise." I confessed.

"So... what you're telling me is that it's _not_ always your way or the highway?" I laughed. Funny guy, that Morelli. "And maybe that you're still learning as you go?" the kindness in his eyes had my smile fading a bit, because no words could be truer than those.

"I'm sorry if you got the impression that I was an expert, but really... I'm no expert at all." He laughed and got to his feet, heading to leave. "And Joe," I touched his arm. "I'm sorry for the way I behaved yesterday afternoon. It's just that you're girlfriend makes me," inhaling deeply, I blew the air out of my cheeks forcefully, my frustration quite evident. He smiled in return.

"She makes me feel that way sometimes too."

"Well, I'm sure she has to have _some_ redeeming qualities, otherwise why would you and Ranger put up with her?"

"Exactly," he said with a wink, and left me alone with my thoughts.


End file.
